Volume 13, Number 9—September 2007
Dispatch
Fecal Viral Concentration and Diarrhea in Norovirus Gastroenteritis
Nelson Lee*, Martin C.W. Chan*, Bonnie Wong*, K.W. Choi*, Winnie Sin*, Grace Lui*, Rickjason C. W. Chan*, Raymond W.M. Lai*, C.S. Cockram*, Joseph J.Y. Sung*, and Wai K. Leung*
Table
Fecal viral concentrations of 40 patients infected with norovirus*
| Comparison groups (%) | Median fecal viral concentration, log10 copies cDNA/g stool (IQR) | p value |
|---|---|---|
| Age, y | ||
| <65 (47.5) | 8.48 (7.79–10.11) | 0.064 |
| >65 (52.5) | 8.97 (8.54–10.70) | |
| Sex | ||
| Male (37.5) | 8.97 (7.79–10.72) | 0.706 |
| Female (62.5) |
8.88 (8.24–10.22) |
|
| Pre-existing medical conditions† | ||
| No (57.5) | 8.95 (7.86–10.26) | 0.520 |
| Yes (42.5) | 8.91 (8.31–10.14) | |
| Diarrhea duration‡ | ||
| Limited (62.2) | 8.38 (7.89–9.45) | 0.001 |
| Prolonged (37.8) |
10.49 (8.84–10.94) |
|
| Vomiting | ||
| No (35.1) | 8.71 (7.71–9.91) | 0.215 |
| Yes (64.9) | 9.10 (8.25–10.40) | |
| Fever§ | ||
| No (62.2) | 8.77 (8.15–10.17) | 0.380 |
| Yes (36.8) | 9.13 (8.23–10.75) | |
*IQR, interquartile range.
†Includes diabetes mellitus, chronic cardiovascular/pulmonary/hepatic diseases, and underlying malignancies. No patient had conditions associated with profound immunosuppression in this cohort.
‡Limited (62.2%) is defined as a total duration of diarrhea of 1–3 d, including both hospitalized and nonhospitalized patients (followed up by the same hospital’s emergency departments as outpatients).Prolonged (37.8%) is defined as a total duration of diarrhea >4 d; all but 1 were hospitalized patients.
§Temperature >37.5°C on >1 occasion.
